I’ve turned quite a loner after moving into this city which was like ages back but the language constraint and the cultural difference has prevented me from finding like minded friends here. Though I have a small group of friends from the locality with whom I connected through FB, that is all is my social life here. A few months back craving for some social connect and the inner urge to connect with school friends, I created a group on Whatsapp. Gradually, many more friends from my batch joined there, where we would walk down the school’s memory lane together.

Apart from the school talk we talk about jobs, careers, places and obviously food too. I and Reena discuss a lot about food both being home makers. Reena, is a happy go lucky woman, always cheerful and smiling. She is the backbone of her joint family and is happily available for all her family members. I’ve known her for almost 28yrs now. She was not only my batch mate but we shared the same bus stop for five years. On one such occasion while we were chatting, she put up the picture of Stuffed Khandvi and mentioned that it’s a protein rich preparation made using lentils and is stuffed with cottage cheese. I always make the khandvi with chickpea flour and this version of khandvi piqued my interest instantly and I asked her for the recipe. She openheartedly shared the recipe with me but with the kid writing his exams, I didn’t get time to try it.

Fortunately for me, she continues to live in the same town, post her marriage and this time when I visited my parents, I got a chance to learn the recipe one-on-one from her. Married into a Gujarati Jain family has made her a pro at making the khandvi, & I was amazed at the speed at which she spread and folded the khandvi and wished in my heart ‘if I could make half as good as hers’. The khandvi was superb, melt in mouth with the right amount of spice from the green chillies and a mild flavour of ginger. I was too eager to try it in my kitchen.

After returning back I was waiting to try her recipe and a few days back I made them for the evening snack and served them with the Paper Boat Drinks sent to me for a review. The drinks reached me when I was away relaxing at my parents place and after coming back I was back to the daily grind, so I decided to open the bag with a suitable snack to go with it.. It made an excellent accompaniment with the khandvi.

Their are four brains behind the creation of Paper Boat, namely Neeraj Kakkar, James Nutall, Suhas Misra and Neeraj Biyani and their philosophy behind the product is ‘to create memories’ and hence the name Paper Boat. There are 6 refreshing flavours available currently Aamras, Jaljeera, Kokam, Jamun, Imli and Aaam Panna which are smartly packed in four part laminate pouches which allows them to withstand extreme heat and pressures.

I would recommend my readers to go through their website and read the FAQ’s and the story behind Paper Boat. It’s worth a read, and it touches your heart. The drinks have no preservatives but have added natural and nature identical flavours. All the six flavours are innate to the Indian sub continent and a common Indian can easily relate to them as these are the flavours he grew up with. All the flavours are good and each of them distinctly different from the others and most importantly, do not taste artificial.

All of us in the family tasted all the flavours and each of us has his favourite now. The kid loved the Jaljeera while S liked the Kokam and my personal favourites are, the Jamun kala khatta and Imli ka Amlana. The drinks have a perfect balance of sourness, sweet and spices. They taste best when serve chilled. So try the flavours and choose your favourite..

Cook on medium-high flame stirring continuously, till it thickens and leaves the sides and has sheen.

Getting the right consistency is the key towards a successful khandvi. Take a spoonful and spread it quickly on a small plate to check whether it’s easily coming off the plate. If it comes off, using a spatula spread the mix in quick strokes into a thin layer on a flat clean surface or backside of plates or on aluminium foil. (This process needs skill and quick movement which comes from practice). Let it cool for 10mins.

Meanwhile grate the cottage cheese and grind together the ginger and green chillies. Chop the coriander. Mix all and add salt to taste.

Trim the thick edges and cut using a sharp knife in straight lines to form strips of 1-1/2 to 2inch width.

Spread the cottage cheese mix on one strip and start rolling tightly from one end to the other. Repeat the process for all the strips. Remove the rolls on a plate.

Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Switch off flame and add sesame and curry leaves. Pour the tempering over the rolls. Stuffed khandvi is ready to eat. Serve with a green chutney. I served it with a mint-raw mango chutney and chilled Paper Boat Drinks.